In cold weather when changing oil in (standard pickup) I let the motor run awhile , thinking it would drain easier............ Was that the right thing to do?

When driving OTR, can you request to stay out longer than the 30 days and 4 days off , to make more money?

I suppose that is a dispatcher or brokers dream.

changing the oil thats no big deal. just more hot to the touch. and make sure you changed the filter also.

you can stay out as long as you like but then you have a problem of getting burned out. it's good to take a break from the truck every once in awhile to feel like as i like to say human again.

I think that's kind of a myth that you make much more by staying out longer. You are going to establish an average income per day, and that's pretty much what you make. The key is in productive loads, not in staying out for long periods of time. If the load is right, you can be home several times a week and still make out well financially, and if you haul poor paying loads, or badly scheduled loads that waste your time, you gain nothing for bunking in the truck each night. The key is in being productive, and in the people that you work for seeing you as a productive asset that they want to make the best use of. Then, if those standards are applied, the money will follow. Money follows mximizing your potential, not merely spending hours away from home.

Oil changes should always be done somewhat warm to make the oil flow better. Not as crucial in summer as in winter, for obvious reasons.

Lil, this person's advice is more geared to one who is going to be an O/O. Are you going to be? In this day and age, if you're an O/O and you don't run pretty much 29 days a month, you'll be history fairly soon, maybe even VERY soon. Staying out on the road is pretty much a necessity outside the specialized niches like the one he's in. If you're starting out as a company driver, there won't be anything 'niche' about what you'll be doing. Some weeks you'll do well, other weeks not so much. Welcome to the world of OTR trucking.

Many times you yourself will be productive, but the bottleneck will be your company, as insiders may not know (or care) how to maximize your productivity.

This person is also talking as though you will have a choice as far as your loads go. You will if you're going to be an O/O. You won't if you're going the company driver route. I don't know which you'll be doing, as I haven't read your other posts. Forgive me if I've skipped over some critical info. In the real world of OTR trucking, whatever your company gives you, you will have to take, at least at most outfits. Some outfits though, such as Crete, offer choices when dispatched. We all wish we pulled flour trucks and could enjoy the pampered life of the niche. In such a regime, we can choose our loads and maximize our productivity to our heart's content. It's be sweet, wouldn't it? Anyway, let's leave his reality and get back to yours......

He is right about the attitude thing. If you have a good attitude and are efficient, you'll do fine IF your company is in turn efficient enough to maximize your efforts. However, monkey wrenches get thrown into the works, such as bad weather, waiting at docks, breakdowns, slow freight periods, and so on from time to time that will effect your ability to do what you want to do no matter how efficient you are or your company is. This goes for both O/Os and company drivers. Such is the nature of the beast.

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--Paved Dudley--

Yeah I drive a Swift truck
And that means one thing
It means she's slow
It's a typical company truck
It's just all show and no go

I'm gettin' passed by Yella
And even Overnite
I'm gettin' passed by ever' body in sight
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight

No, my hometown's nowhere in sight
And if you think I'm pissed off
You're right
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight


Love pissing off those trucking company insiders.

Hello Burk..............Poor paying loads, badly scheduled loads ? This can come from the company dispatcher when driving for a Truck/Comp? So does the Driver have to stay out longer to meet a "Quota"?
When your a O/O , you call the shots, usually?
Does a $1000 a week sound normal for a Truck/Comp? And logging in 11k's(thousand)a month sound normal?
I am asking these ? cuz your knowledgable and my friend/fella(drives) had a moment out there and did not want me to hear his anger over the phone...........so we didn't get into the jist of it.
I need a "quick cut to the chase class room session here".........!
So when and if I deciede to bring some issues up to him , I will be prepared and the converstion for him will be quicker and less phone yak...want to spend that precious time w/ good/kind/caring words and interesting events back home of interest for him...............would appreciate more input and info from you, Thanks.......Liltruck

And Burky...............the oil in the little farm truck was just right and cleaned up good..............thanks again............wished I could have taken wood shop/welding/auto in HS instead of Home ech..................I like to cook for those that like my cooking............but I like to do the other stuff better......................

My friend/fella is driving for a Comp...........and requests the month and 4 days off....................and your right about the MONKEY WRENCH must have slipped on a banana peel, cause it was pretty testy for him the 14th of this month..............I had my Big Gal shorts on and handled it like I am feeling ,he would have liked and glad I did.................He is a great man and person to me..............and I am a great woman and person to him....!

I would like to take a load and see what it is like....................I like to drive. In fact it would be coooooooool to operate a "Liebherrt-282 B". Closest I got to see one of thos in action was when I was driving regular dump truck , helping build a road near a dam in the mountains................goofy guys from the feds came and were underneath my truck going to adjust the brakes when my boss asked my whereabouts and I told him what was going and that I refused to move His Truck and they're screaming at me outside my closed window. Just pulled my cap down tighter till my boss got there and then the sh** flew.

I noticed your "Ode to the Road"......................you drive a Swift Truck, by golly so does my nieghbor , fact he just headed out again . I see him every 2 or 3 weeks..........................I will have to catch him next time and yak at him.....................

I don't make more money by staying out otr longer, but I enjoy my hometime when I do go home....My grands are the reason I go home...

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Hey Liltruck: the answers are:
Yes, let your motor run (for about 5 mins if cold), warm oil drains faster.

And Yes, most companies will let a driver stay out longer, but it doesn't neccesarily mean more money (in the end).

Burky's advise is really good, provided your company (or in this case, your fella's co) gives him choice of loads and/or works with him to keep him loaded and maximize his productivity. But as you can/have seen, it is no guarantee that his paycheck will reflect it.
Unless his company takes a week (or more) to get him into their freight lanes, where he can make the most money. Then it might be better for him to stay out an extra week, but when it's time to come home, he will always take a hit on his pay. It's just the way OTR sometimes works.

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